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A gang has been luring men over the Grindr dating app before bursting into their homes in a series of burglaries being treated as homophobic hate crimes.
The Metropolitan Police fear there may be dozens more victims of the gang are urging them to come forward after three people were arrested.
Members of the gang arrange to meet unsuspecting victims at their home over the dating site, police said. Once inside, they build up a rapport with the victim in an attempt to steal a glance at their phone’s pin number.
They then steal high-value items, including phones, which they then use to make lavish online purchases.
It’s believed approximately 50 offences have taken place between October 2024 and March this year, and officers from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command are asking for more victims to come forward.
A 22-year-old man from Potters Bar in Hertfordshire was arrested on Thursday, 3 April on suspicion of burglary and fraud offences. He was charged and remanded in custody.
Two other men, aged 27 and 28 and both from Harrow, have been arrested on suspicion of burglary and are on bail while the investigation continues.
Superintendent Owen Renowden said the force were treating the series of “pre-planned” burglaries and frauds as a hate crime.
He said: “Our investigation is progressing at pace, but we believe there are a number of offences that have not yet been reported to us, so I urge anyone who may have been targeted, or may have crucial information that will help us with our enquiries, to contact us as soon as possible."
He added: “The Met Police is fully committed to ensuring all our communities in London feel safe, as well as continuing to enhance the trust and confidence LGBT+ people place in us. Organised crime has a devastating impact on society and your help will be key in helping us bring those responsible to justice.”
In January, a gang who used Grindr to lure four men to parks in Birmingham where they would be brutally attacked and robbed were jailed for 80 years combined.
Demalji Hadza, 21, Abubaker Alezawy, 21, Ali Hassan, 20, Wasim Omar, 24, and Mohammed Sharif, 22, suceeded in stealing £100,000 over a 10-month period and left their victims fearing for their lives.
In some cases, their victims were held for hours as they were forced to hand over their bank details and agree to large transactions.
If you’re a victim or have information that could assist officers with their investigation, you can contact police on 101, quoting reference CAD 5090/15APR.
You can also remain 100 per cent anonymous and pass information onto the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or by visiting Crimestoppers-uk.org, as well as GALOP, via their national helpline on 0800 999 5428.
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